fusain

[ fyoo-zeyn, fyoo-zeyn; French fy-zan ]
/ fyuˈzeɪn, ˈfyu zeɪn; French füˈzɛ̃ /

noun, plural fu·sains [fyoo-zeynz, fyoo-zeynz; French fy-zan] /fyuˈzeɪnz, ˈfyu zeɪnz; French füˈzɛ̃/ for 2.

a fine charcoal used in drawing, made from the wood of the spindle tree.
a drawing made with this charcoal.
a blackish-gray, friable component of coal with a silky luster that leaves a charcoallike mark.

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Origin of fusain

1865–70; < French: spindle tree, charcoal made from its wood < Vulgar Latin *fūsāgīn- (stem of *fūsāgō), derivative of Latin fūsus spindle

Words nearby fusain

furunculoid, furunculosis, furunculus, fury, furze, fusain, fusan, fusarium, fusarium wilt, fuscous, fuse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for fusain

fusain
/ (fjuːˈzeɪn, French fyzɛ̃) /

noun

a fine charcoal pencil or stick made from the spindle tree
a drawing done with such a pencil
a dull black brittle form of carbon resembling charcoal, found in certain coals

Word Origin for fusain

C19: from French: spindle tree or charcoal made from it, from Vulgar Latin fūsāgō (unattested) a spindle (generally made from the spindle tree), from Latin fūsus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012